I DON'T WANT TO BE A SINKING EMBER
THEY'LL ALL REMEMBER AS A WARNING . . .
Snow was always most beautiful when unblemished by carmine stains and robed figures.
The flutter of wings does naught to drown out the alarum ringing across the Terrestrial Artifice's expanse as a shadow passes overhead: once, twice, thrice... circling.
Leathery skin where its eyes should be, the blind creature screeches to render prey immobile and pinpoint positions.
A fiery-haired boy remains doubled over; his hands clasped over bleeding ears, forehead to snow-dusted pavement cracked with the impact of toppled architecture and rubble.
He's frozen in fear, in pain, in guilt. Had he paid more attention and lived up to expectations, perhaps the beast wouldn't have gotten free. Perhaps these people wouldn't be hurt, or worse.
There's already blood on his hands, the same ones incapable of even subduing the beast. Thus does his fist meet the cement in frustration, teeth grinding as he succumbs to hopelessness.
Until...
"I'm over here!" came a desperate voice. The young man peered through the bend of his elbow and beheld a Ktisis researcher trapped halfway under rubble.
'Shut up!' the teen thought, wondering why someone would willingly draw attention to themself in times of crisis.
Through vision blurred from snowy drifts, missing glasses, and blood from previous injury, he notices the bigger picture: there were children here, cowering behind the rocks.
The creature above reared mid-air and headed straight for the source of the shouting. Temperatures rose, melting the snow around its source as roaring flames licked at the young man's skin and robes. Without hesitation, his body moved on its own.
In a flash of blinding light, he was soaring through the air; wings bright as the sun hugging his back and shoulders born of ignited dynamis.
One blow was all it took to take the beast down, and it was the first time he didn't feel useless.
.
.
ICARUS PHAETHON
CRYSTAL ♦ ZALERA
❝ the labor of my love! ❞
FILES .
given name : nemesis
designation : icarus
age : early 20s , or 3 years younger than erichthonios
race : amaurotine
gender : genderfluid , he / him preference
height / build : 6' 8" , muscular
orientation : bisexual , biromantic
nameday & sign : october 7th , libra
bio family : lahabrea ( father ) , hesperos ( father ) , erichthonios ( half-brother )
connections : izanami ( mentor ) , themis ( we know why )
PERSONA .
when a man's born with a golden heart, so many are afraid of snuffing that light. in icarus's case, there is nothing that can kill the fire that burns within him. he was born with great expectations put on his shoulders, but was forced to struggle without magical prowess. and yet he never gave up, powering through the hardships. he knows what darkness there is in this world and vowed to never let anyone he can reach feel the same hopelessness and worthlessness he once felt. he may not be book smart, but he is innovative where it counts and will always put himself in harm's way if it means saving someone else, even from themself if need be. he is clumsy and prone to breaking his glasses, among other things.
PHSYICALITY & AILMENTS .
icarus was born with nearsightedness which requires glasses for correction. at the age of 13, he sustained life-threatening injuries; the aftermath, unbeknownst to his family, left him with no peripheral vision in his right eye. it glows a dimmer color and has a partial blue-hue discoloration, but requires a person to be extremely close to notice. he has a scar across his face too. additionally, he is covered in burn scars; his hands and arms, however, have sustained the worst of it. both palms have suffered irreparable damage to their nerve endings, making it difficult to register feeling. he has been told that continued trauma to his hands and arms may result in permanent loss of motor function. this, too, is a guarded secret... though anyone can take a guess due to the awful state his appendages are in.
.
EXTRA .
voiceclaim : sett from lol , just without the echo effect
playlist : ♫ ( spotify )
occupation : self-proclaimed concept receiver and receptionist ( ? ) for pandæmonium
profession : monk / dancer hybrid , occasional paladin
psyche : adhd , autism
hobbies : feather collecting , birdwatching , studying architecture , throwing parties
familiar : it's basically a cockatiel made out of condensed fire named 'helios'
MENTALITY .
icarus is an incredibly intelligent and innovative individual, able to make the best of situations even at the cost of his own physical status. he is kind and wears his heart on his sleeve, but isn't the sharpest tool in the weaponry armoire when it comes to coping mechanisms. he has adopted an outlandish and ignorant-appearing façade, having the knowledge to accomplish most things and yet choosing not to apply it. he is also reckless to a fault, has something of a martyr / hero complex, and feels responsible for the safety and well-being of others. a look deep within the corridors of his mind will reveal a conflicting darkness that makes its debut when the mask falters. he would rather prove himself to others than let himself succumb to misery ever again; however, he is no longer afraid of disappointing lahabrea.
FIGHTING STYLES & DRAWBACKS .
while icarus is incapable of using magic, he does have some knowledge in aether manipulation. this allows him to strengthen parts of his body to maximize use and efficiency while minimizing damage to his bones. one thing he inherited was the potential to use fire magic, which is something he cannot control, nor can he use it without some form of catalyst. the bandages he uses to dress up his hands act as a means to nurse injuries, protect his knuckles during training, and are capable of catching fire with the friction of snapping his fingers. he fights with quick movements, raw power from his physical strength, and ignites his own aether for an edge. if he doesn't watch how much aether he burns, he will die. either way, his body always ends up damaged or exhausted.
during a crisis situation, or when he gets an overwhelming feeling of wanting to help but he doesn't have the power, his official transformation is a pair of wings made of ignited dynamis. during this time, he is able to go past his limits for a single big attack or defensive maneuver before he will likely lose consciousness. this, too, he cannot control.
On the seventh night of the fifth umbral moon, a suspected prodigy of two brilliant and gifted men was brought into the world. With a future pre-determined, the name Nemesis was bestowed upon him.
What was meant to be a joyous occasion had been soured when the newborn was found plagued with an unknown illness. Months of care and emergency medical research on said elusive disease saved the baby's life, but at a cost. It forever stunted his ability to use magic.
Thus did the boy grow up at a disadvantage from the other children. While they moved on to cultivating their discovered skills, he was still unable to weave a single thread of energy betwixt his fingertips. Even the tutelage of his fathers bore no fruit; one deemed him a lost cause, while the other continued to mentor him.
Failure after failure drove the young boy into a downward spiral. He couldn't even excel in academics, and believed he brought shame to the family he was born into. Hesperos's mentorship was discouraged, eventually outright refused, and he resigned himself to watching concepts be transported from Elpis to Pandæmonium.
It was a near-lethal encounter with a vrykolakas at Ktisis that changed his life. While the beast waged war on the facility, the teen was to blame for its escape and nearly succumbed to guilt and self-loathing until he was inspired by a selfless act by a nearby researcher. He saw her willing to sacrifice her life for the safety of some children and sprung into action with an ignited want to help.
The sudden outburst of power had sent him into a coma for two weeks, and he awoke to the researcher whose life he had saved with his actions. When she asked him for his name, it wasn't Nemesis that left his lips, but rather a new identity for the next chapter of his life: Icarus.
Legend has it that the mentor who chose to teach him was both ruthless and reckless, and has earned Lahabrea's disapproval. While he's no prodigy or spectacular individual, nobody can deny how his antics and personality light up a room. He has given himself a job within Pandæmonium's walls, though isn't officially employed there due to his incapability of casting shackles. He also continues his studies at the Akadaemia, but focuses less on the required courses and only cares about architecture and breaking societal uniform code.
screenshots
* screenshots are edited with photoshop.
out of character !
CURTAIN CALL .
hello! name's omen. i'm 25+, gay, transmasc-nb ( he / they ), and in the EST timezone. the next paragraph(s) below may contain spoilers for endwalker / pandæmonium and mentions of trans pregnancy.icarus's story follows my personal canon regarding hesperos where he is a trans man who was in a polycule with athena and lahabrea during the time icarus was born. in this universe, hesperos survives his altercation with the wol and receives treatment for the hemitheos.although not outlined in the lore provided, icarus dies protecting a group of people from a blasphemy while on his way to try and stop hesperos from sacrificing himself to zodiark during the final days.his lore is kept mostly vague because he is meant to be a background / supportive character who tries to be in the spotlight. this means he can easily be molded to fit any interaction with any character. one thing i will not budge on are his familial ties for obvious reasons.
YES ✓
★ dialogue only, casual, or multi-paragraph. i flex based on my partner's preference.
★ third person only. sorry, i just can't stand second or first in a rp context.
★ pre-established connections are ok. shipping also ok ( friends only ). just ask first for both.
★ dark themes regarding blood and gore in detail are okay. ask before exploring character death.
NO ✘
★ people below 21 in general. i make some exceptions, but not often.
★ erp focus. that isn't the intent of the character.
★ lgbtphobes, racists, antisemites, trans chasers, race chasers, qos, lala lewders, non-con/incest/pedo, etc.
★ anti and pro-ship terminology means nothing. i'm too tired to deal with you. read the above line again.
NOTES ✎
★ i have autism and ( probably ) adhd. i'm prone to getting distracted often and i'm slow to reply at times.
★ discord writing is nice, but i only feel comfy giving it to people i know.
★ i know i'm not the easiest person to approach, but i'm generally nice if you respect my boundaries.
★ the rp tag almost never gets used, so shoot me a tell. if i'm not on icarus, try lahabrea's babygirl @ zalera.